A dry start to Monday will allow temperatures to soar… and the heat index. Not only will high temperatures be above 90°, the heat index will be in the triple digits. It will likely be the first time this year the heat index will break the 100° mark in Gainesville. The highest heat index and the highest temperatures will occur around 2pm today and it is encouraged to take precautions while outdoors.

Hour-by-hour for Gainesville with the heat index this afternoon

Safety tips when spending time outdoors:

Wear light colored clothing

Drink plenty of fluids and avoid alcohol

Slow down – avoid strenuous activity.

Timing and likelihood of showers and thunderstorms Monday afternoon

Then, relief from the heat will come in the form of scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon hours. Activity today will be concentrated mainly near and east of the I-75 corridor and west of I-95. Spotty showers will begin to move inland after 2pm with stronger activity possible after 4pm, especially in the light blue shaded region. Some locally strong storms are possible with frequent lightning, heavy downpours and gusty winds.

WRUF Weather will be tracking all of the storms on WRUFWeather.com where you can track the storms with us using the personal storm tracking tool. You can also send photos of damage to us on Twitter to our handle @WRUFWeather using #Weather Together or through email weather@wruf.com.